


Coming to Grips

by ChibiTabatha



Category: TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Minor Violence, Planet Destruction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, minor mention of gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 02:59:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12902496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiTabatha/pseuds/ChibiTabatha
Summary: Lord Phobos lived a peaceful life on his planet. The annual Lights Festival comes and goes, yet this time with certain travellers in its midst. Who would have thought their cargo would cause so much devastation. How on earth did he end up trapped on a ship with the man who took away all that he loved? What does the kind stranger with what looks like the cosmos across his face have to do with any of it? More importantly: Can he accept the pain, or will it plague him for the rest of his long life?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I'm so happy I participated in this, I'm happy I got to work with the very amazing and talented [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art). Honestly, they were such a treat and they were so amazing and I loved every moment of it.
> 
> I hope that you all love this as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D

Lord Phobos lived on a small planet, some may call it quaint, others may call it homey. No matter what one would say about this small red and purple marble hung among the cosmos, he loved it dearly. Very rarely did he get to see the view of his planet from space, but no other sight brought him as much joy. Watching the green seas fade beneath him, watching red mountains turn into small hills, watching the deep purple clouds chase each other across the skies. Once in space, you almost wouldn’t be able to tell that their planet had any liquids at all, that was how small the scale was. Just red beneath the purple clouds, being warmed by the four suns surrounding them. There were only ever a couple hundred thousand of his people at any time. He loved it.    
  
Phobos himself looked like any other of his people; Dark, charcoal skin, pale coloured eyes, and pale hair. His irises were a pale blue that almost faded into the whites they were set into, his hair a shimmering pale silver, bordering on white. Keeping his long hair tamed was difficult, often times his mother or one of his sisters would pull it up away from his face, intricate braids, pins he could never always quite remove all of, but he never complained. His family loved doing his hair and he loved letting them do what they wanted, they would always complain when he did his own hair anyways. ‘How come you never learn to do your hair? Just pulling it back doesn’t befit your name or title,’ his sisters would often harp at him. He would just laugh and wave them off, honestly they would always be there to help him, and if they enjoyed it he would never stop them.   
  
One thing he loved doing for his family was playing music for them. For as long as he could remember he always had a guitar. It was to the point where rumors spread that he was born with a guitar in hand. Everyone knew it wasn’t true, yet everyone always spoke of it as a fact and not just a silly little rumor. Often times he would just sit on a hill and strum his guitar and children and their families would gather around and listen to him play. He loved the calm looks of enjoyment on their faces. Sometimes the braver young ones would come up and ask about the guitar, if he would teach them. He always told them yes, he would, and answered all the questions he could until they had to leave.   
  
This guitar he had now was beautiful, the body hand painted by his own hand. Stars of multiple different shapes and sizes decorated the front of the guitar, the pickguard a solid black against the cosmos. Along the sides of the guitar he had painted flowers from other planets. Species that were long extinct or flourishing greatly, he just chose them for how they looked.    
  
Eventually his regular hill that he sat to play at grew more and more plant life and flowers. A soft pink tree here, a small cluster of purple flowers there, over time the hill became more and more diverse and wild with plants. The children and their parents helped plant them, for the especially difficult to find plants, his family helped find them. Everyone in the area had a hand in creating this small oasis of plant life, and they all took turns enjoying it as well.   
  
A few of the plants couldn’t survive the constant light of their suns. Some of the children were sad, but Phobos explained to them that not every creature or lifeform could handle constant light like they could. That travellers often times stayed on their own ships, because light stimulates their bodies and they wouldn’t be able to sleep. That always gave the little ones something to think about, and that always made him happy. After all, the future of his planet and people rested on their small shoulders.   
  
  
  
His favourite spot to read was under a tree that was always green. The ‘leaves’ were thin and pointed, like needles. The sap when cooled acted like glue, it was awful when it got stuck in his robes. The best part of the tree was it’s scent, it was strong and bright, and no other tree quite had the same, woody-tangy scent. According to the planet it was sourced from, it was called an evergreen tree. No one knew which species it was though, and not many cared. It was there, under that tree, that he heard a ship coming down from orbit. Looking up from his reading, he watched a small transport descend from the atmosphere. Phobos mentally pulled up dates for when they were supposed to receive things from other quadrants.   
  
Nothing came to mind, so perhaps this was just a pitstop on the way to their actual destination. Phobos smiled to himself, the children always loved getting visitors. Different aliens, from different planets, with different stories. He wondered if any of them would be staying in lodging or if they would stay on their ship. “Depends on how long they’ll be staying for I suppose,” he mumbled to himself.   
  
Perhaps they had heard of the Annual Lights Festival, and made a pitstop to witness it. Phobos’ eyes shifted to the horizon, where two of their four suns could be seen. “Not much longer, I suppose I should send someone to greet our guests. Let them know what is happening and how long they might be staying for,” slowly he closed the text he was reading. Honestly he didn’t want to get up and one of his sisters might send someone, but chances are he was the only one who saw the ship.   
  
Slowly getting to his feet, he began the short walk to his home where he could contact the necessary people to greet the transport crew to this wonderful, small, red and purple marble hung amongst the cosmos.   



	2. Chapter 2

The transport crew was smaller than he thought it would be. A captain, navigator, communications expert, and a single technician. Perhaps who ever contracted them to transport goods would be providing them with other members. After all, the crew claimed to have nothing onboard. Out of due diligence and not out of distrust for the small crew an inspection was had. The ship was clean and empty. Although parts of their cargo bay were down for maintenance, the technician gladly showed them the repair logs.   
  
The crew had no idea about the Festival and were glad they could stay through it. Their employer told them to swing by to see the sights since they were in no rush to get things rolling, and the crew seemed to like the idea of having a small two or three day vacation. Phobos, of course, heard all this second hand since he had to help his family prepare for the festival.   
  
Now to most, a silly little festival is nothing, but this was bigger than a small festival. They hang lanterns in the streets, light large fires to dance and sing around. Very thin robes were worn a special way to prevent too much layering. The best part were children who never quite understood what was happening. “Lord Phobos, why are you hanging up a lantern when the suns always light up the sky?” a small child tugged at his robes.   
  
He crouched down in front of the child, “You were very small last year so I can understand your confusion. See, once a year, our planet travels through a space where none of the suns can be seen. A day of darkness.”   
  
“Would that not make it cold? Why such thin robes?” small pale eyes blinked up at him.   
  
“That, little one, is a secret, one you shall soon find out about,” Phobos winked at the child before ruffling their hair and walking away.   
  
In reality it wasn’t a secret at all, but Phobos loved seeing the look of awe on children’s and people’s faces when they got to see the lights. Along with lanterns he set out mirrors along major streets, so that all angles of the lights could be seen. Lots of questions from the younger crowd, but their parents hushed them and ushered them along to get ready. Phobos looked up at the sky, a single sun tinged the purple clouds with reds and oranges. Backtracking back home he double checked his work along the way, every lantern was in place, and mirrors could easily be seen.   
  
Once home, his sisters were on him immediately, pulling at his robes and hair. “I can dress myself!” he half-heartedly tried to get away but it was no use. In a flurry of fabric, one set of robes was removed before another was quickly put on. Too many hands tugged and brushed through his hair, it wasn’t unpleasant, just mildly overwhelming.   
  
Once his sisters were done, they stepped back to admire their work. One brought forward a mirror, gently taking it from his sister he looked at his own reflection. Small flowers adorned his braids, a crown of twigs with flowers and leaves wound through them placed gently on his head. “Thank you my sisters, this is absolutely lovely,” he embraced each one of his sisters.   
  
As a family they left and headed towards the main street, the sunlight still strong enough that nothing had begun. By the time they hit the major market, most families were out and the light had dimmed. Small gasps escaped children and soft laughter from their parents. Looking towards one family he delighted in the way the smallest child, to young to remember this day reached for his softly glowing mother with hands lit up in pinks and purples. Looking to his own hands and legs he watched as the dark charcoal skin gave way way to blues and greens, spotted with yellow. Passing by a mirror he smiled at himself, the robes hardly hid the glow of his chest beneath them, and purples bloomed up under the fabric.    
  
A few strange creatures had also joined the families out in the main street, probably the transport crew counting the four of them. They also watched in awe as the sun departing darkened the skies and brightened the charcoal skin of his people. Once the sun was completely set, the festivities began. Lanterns were lit, fires roared and Phobos watched as his people sang and danced under their own wondrous light. He opted to look upwards, past the deep purple clouds towards the softly twinkling stars. They didn’t often get to see the stars, but this view, that could only be seen once a year was positively breathtaking.   
  
Phobos broke away from his family and headed to the hill to lay amongst the flowers and look up at the stars. He wasn’t surprised to see some of the older children there, however he was surprised to see his eldest sister with his guitar. Gently taking his partner in hand he strummed soft notes, the children humming along off tune and talking about the stars above. This place, with the stars above and the flowers around them, was like the embodiment of beauty he tried to capture on his guitar. It made his heart swell up, filled with joy and love for his planet.    
  
As they sat and chatted in the soft glow of their own skin, the children began to doze off one by one. His sister went to fetch their families. Once all the children were gathered up, Lord Phobos and his sister retired home as well. Removing the crown and robes was easy, the small flowers in his hair, not so much. Some were held in place by small pins, others just weaved so thoroughly into his hair that he had to painstakingly undo each and every plait in his hair. Once all his hair was free of organic matter he crawled into his bed, night robes draping over him and warming his slightly cooled skin. Just before his eyes drifted close he could see the suns’ rays begin peeking into his room. He also felt something sweep through the window, but perhaps it was just the wind whispering him to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More art from the talented [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art). When I first saw the piece I was like "OMG ITS AMAZING". And it is and I hope you guys enjoy our work together~

Everything was on fire, the heat dried out his eyes and seared his throat. Voices, so, so many voices. All he could hear was the screaming of his people. The wailing of children whose parents could no longer hear their cries and pleas. Adults screaming at each other in confusion, anger, pain. Soft rumbling of a building collapsing. The shattering of glass. Whatever was happening didn’t look like it could be stopped.  
  
  
  
In the distance he could see someone crouched down, checking the pulse of someone who had collapsed. Clearly there was one sane person left! He attempted to move quickly through the burning and smoking rubble, instead he stopped. The stench was horrific, the building he was attempting to pass must have still had residents in it before it collapsed in all the chaos. His stomach violently heaved, but he bit his lip to keep his digestive system in check. Bringing the sleeve of his robe up to his mouth and nose he pushed onwards. It hardly cut the foul smell, but it helped with the smoke.   
  
“Hail friend!” muffled, he called to the person as he approached him. He gagged again, the reek palpable in the air.   
  
Glowing blue lights from a helmet barely cut through the smoke. They emanated from the general mouth area of the helmet. Drawing closer he could tell the stranger was the one from the transport he’d seen earlier in the day. At his feet was what looked like another of his crew. “Xt’ crazy? Xt’ need xth!” in the stranger’s panic he was switching languages. The man continued to ramble and stood. They motioned with one hand quite a bit before a bulky helmet was shoved into his hands. From what little he could understand he needed to put the helmet on.   
  
Once the small respirator in the helmet was in place he could feel his vision clear and the pounding headache he was unaware he had slowly ebbed into nothing. “Thank you stranger,” he wanted to ask the alien what was going on, but the sound of another building collapsing rumbled around them.   
  
The creature ran a hand through his hair, or fur, it was hard to tell with all the smoke, “No problem. Not like my crew member needs it. My whole crew is gone. I’m surprised you still have your head about you still.”   
  
“What do you mean?” Phobos was confused.   
  
“I mean, something went wrong with my cargo and your people have gone bat-shit crazy. One of them stabbed one of my guys with a utensil,” the alien explained calmly.   
  
Phobos could feel anger welling in his chest, “Your cargo?” There had to be a mix up, there was no way this stranger caused the destruction of his home with whatever they had been transporting.   
  
“No point in hiding now. My former crew and I smuggle funk. This wasn’t even the destination planet,” the taller of the two crossed his arms. The pirate leaned back on one leg, a finger slowly tapping his arm in thought.   
  
Funk is illegal across multiple galaxies, and this creature speaks of it so calmly. Like the fact that their cargo is destroying his home, his people, his everything, was nothing. A garbled sound escaped him as he lunged towards the taller alien. In shock the smuggler took a step back.   
  
He reached for the helmet, which wasn’t really a helmet it was more of a mask, and his fingers bit into the cool metal. The pair tumbled over the body of the fallen crew member, a jumble of arms, legs and torsos. Grabbing onto the creature under him he once again attempted to rip the mask off. “Hey… knock it… off…” the words came out broken from the struggle. Hands clamped onto his wrists as they fought for the one thing protecting the creature under him.   
  
The taller of the two wedged his feet against Phobos’ torso and pushed. The Lord ended up skidding a short distance away, and in the time it took for him to recover the smuggler was already on his feet dashing towards the hub. As quickly as he could he followed after the pirate. Just a short distance away from the hub Phobos took the clunky helmet off and threw it as hard as he could. It connected right in the creatures lower back and it yowled in pain, taking a knee to the ground.    
  
This time Phobos tackled the creature, the force causing them to roll towards the building. “Look, I’m sorry man!” this time the pirate was on top holding him down as he attempted to get the upper hand again. Hands pushed down on his chest as he writhed underneath the other.   
  
“Apologies won’t save anyone! They’re dying! MY PEOPLE ARE DYING! IT’S ALL  **YOUR** FAULT!” tears burned their way down his soot covered face.   
  
“No, but I can save your sorry ass whether you’ll appreciate it or not,” the taller hoisted him up. Dragged him literally kicking and screaming to the ships. This time he could feel the headache building behind his eyes, the pressure dimming his vision. A helmet he was more accustomed to was jammed onto his face and he was strapped into a seat. “This thing is going to take you out of here. Sit here and clear your head. Hopefully the funk didn’t already poison you.” The soft sound of the door sealing could barely be heard over the rushing in his ears.   
  
‘Ha, I wish it had,’ he thought solemnly to himself. Even as the ship slowly hummed to life. Even as the headache took longer to clear. He could only wish that he had perished along with his planet. His family, gone. The places he often sat and played his guitar, gone.   
  
His guitar, oh god. He was born with it in his hands as they liked to joke. But now it was gone. Forever. Ever so gently his eyes shut as tears continued to course down his face.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Soft beeping from the console greeted him as he slowly roused. Console? Why could he hear a console? At first Phobos was confused, then it came back to him. His beautiful red and purple planet, gone. Sobs racked his thin frame, his hands reaching up to hold his head as he cried. His fingers grasped at the visor and the cool metal, tears blurring the inside of the visor. Soft pinging alerted him to an incoming transmission.    
  
Pressing a few buttons, the image popped up on screen. A mangy looking creature with patchy fur on its face popped up on screen. Triangular ears protruded from more dark, wild fur growing around the main part of it’s face and the back of its head, judging from appearance anyways. A small shiny piece of metal on the right ear caught the light from one of the consoles in the ship, the left ear had at least two rings in it. A small muzzle with whiskers and a mouth that looked like it curved in the center, down, and then back up on either end were also noticeable. The nose was a downturned triangle, a light pink in comparison to the tan fur on its face.   
  
“Yes?” voice thick with freshly shed tears.   
  
“I’m Commander Meouch, the pirate. The one who saved you,” the creature spoke slowly, clearly.   
  
“Saved? SAVED?!” his voice reverberated around the smaller space, he winced. Taking a large breath, he started again, “You killed everyone I know and love. Destroyed my home. This ship probably won’t even last long. Do you plan on watching me wither away into nothing as time passes?”   
  
“No, I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t kill me if I tried to help you. I wasn’t trying to wreck your home! I liked it there! It was nice!” the creature slammed his hands down on the console.    
  
“Then maybe you should have thought bef-” a high pitch beep cut him off.   
  
Suddenly the screen split and another image popped up. This creature looked smaller, stouter than the furred creature on the left. Eyes that seemed to glow stared at him, soft shaggy hair that at first appeared yellow, then slowly changed colour as the light hit it at different angles. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and the soft spattering of blemishes on his face shifted in colour. Like those tiny blemishes were galaxies of their own, they shone and faded with what felt like no rhyme or reason. As the creature’s mouth widened into a smile, Phobos then noticed the glowing light in the creature’s chest. Looking directly at it hurt his mind, like he was falling into himself and floating away at the same time. “Hey guys! Sorry to interrupt you! I was just wondering about something!” the creature sounded upbeat and cheerful.   
  
Meouch frowned, “Never seen your kind before. What do you need?”   
  
“Well I heard of a Lord Phobos who lives in this quadrant. See, I heard he was born with a guitar in his hands. I’m looking for him because I want to start a band!”   
  
“That is I. Although I am without my partner. It perished, along with the rest of my home,” his hand clenched reflexively thinking of what happened only moments ago.   
  
The pirate cleared his throat, “Actually, I saved it for you. It’s seen better days.” He held up the guitar by the neck, the whole thing was unstrung, the body blackened from the fires, but still whole. “I saw you playing it, and there was only one building that wasn’t completely trashed before I left the surface. I figured that’s where you had come from. See I have a bass, and I know how I would feel if I lost her.”   
  
“Oh! You can play bass? Perfect. I need a bass player too!” the short energetic one piped up.   
  
“We never said we were going to join you. I’m especially not joining if he’s joining,” the Lord crossed his arms over his chest.   
  
“Look I traveled a long way, the least you could do is hear me out! Spend some time on my ship, you two are basically stranded out here. I would feel terrible leaving you out here,” the smile turned into a full on pout.    
  
“I’m down,” Meouch nodded before blinking off the screen.   
  
The short alien with the galaxy on his face, shifted his face downwards, but no sound could be heard. A silent console perhaps? The creature’s face turned up towards the screen, “Lord Phobos, I understand a great deal has just happened to you. If you were to take an oath of silence, I could understand. If you were to remain on your ship, while also aboard mine, I would understand.” The creature’s voice became almost melancholy, “I’m not leaving you here to die,” something else was said but he didn’t catch it, or it was spoken in a tongue he couldn’t understand.   
  
“I’ll join you on your ship for now. But I will not speak to that monster,” Lord Phobos sat straighter in his seat.   
  
“Sure! Did you want to stay on your ship? Or can I possibly offer you a room on my ship?” the space traveler’s face immediately lit up.   
  
Phobos looked around the ship to gauge which craft he was on, “This craft isn’t one designed for comfort. A room would be appreciated.”   
  
“Perfect. Alright you’re going to feel a little bit of some disorienting gravity. My tractor beam is acting up and may affect the gravity device on your ship. Sorry about that!” and just like that, the screen blinked out.  
  
As stated when the tractor beam began to pull on his ship it felt like he was constantly falling to the left. He was thankful he never unclipped from the seat. Once the odd feeling passed, he listened very carefully. The soft sound of the traveller’s voice was muffled, “Alright Lord Phobos. Welcome aboard my ship!”  
  
Unclipping himself at once, the Lord headed out and off the ship. No one was there to greet him, and there was no sign of the transport ship in this docking bay either. Just how large was this wanderer’s ship? A small screen popped up in front of him with a map. A small red line with arrows pointed in what he assumed were the directions he needed to take to get to his ‘room’. “The screen should direct you to where you need to go. It’s a hologram so it should just keep up with you the whole way. I set out some food and some clean clothes for you. I hope they’re to your tastes. If not the ship A.I. should be able to help you out,” the chipper voice sounded again  
  
“Thank you?” he called out, but there was no response. Assuming the captain of the ship couldn’t hear him, he set out to locate his temporary ‘home’ until he could figure out what to do.


	5. Chapter 5

Honestly, he hadn’t seen hide, nor hair of his generous host. How long had he been on this ship? How long since he left the room the being lent him? Clean clothes were always available to him when he awoke. Food always provided.    
  
The A.I. had said she was called ‘Computer Wife’, why they both couldn’t figure out. She also introduced the space traveller, Doctor Sung. Yet as time passed and as he conversed with the A.I. he realized that she wasn’t happy. “What do you do that makes you happy?” he rolled over on his bed to face the empty room.   
  
“ _ I am unsure what you are asking _ ,” her soft robotic voice filled the air.   
  
He tried to think of a better way to word what he was thinking, “Well the Doctor doesn’t make you happy does he? Does being here talking to me make you happy?”   
  
“ _ I enjoy dancing. It was what I was originally designed to do. Everything I do now is a by-product of his needs _ ,” dancing seemed like an odd thing to program an A.I. for, but the captain of this ship did seem fairly eccentric to take on two strangers.   
  
“Then why don’t you go dancing?”   
  
“ _ What a pleasant idea Lord Phobos. Thank you _ ,” the soft sound of the speakers powered down. He was alone again and moments like these would bring back the dying wail of his people.   
  
A soft knock at his door, a muffled voice he couldn’t make out. He sat up slightly, who could possibly be here? The wanderer? Straining his ears he listened for the foot steps indicating his guest had left. Once he was sure the other being was gone he quickly went to the access panel and opened up the door. Sticking his head out, he looked both ways, not a soul on either side of the hallway. His eyes drifted downwards, there was his partner. Her body was horribly burnt, but the neck still appeared straight. Next to her on the floor were loops of wire to restring her, a few panels of sandpaper, and varnish. A small note was jammed under the small can.   
  
He unfolded it carefully, his eyes skimming the messy chicken scratch writing.  _ I did my best to procure all the materials necessary to fix your guitar up. The Commander had to help me with a lot of it since I couldn’t and still can’t tell the strings apart. If you need anything else I’ll be swinging by later. _ True to fashion, it wasn’t signed. Gathering up the supplies in his arms, he returned to the safety of his borrowed abode.    
  
He spent hours sanding down the body, meticulously making sure it was even. That no part was sanded too far down. The effect was far nicer than expected. Charing marbled the body, some spots fading to dark, fading to light. Opening the small can of varnish and grabbing the small brush strapped to the can, he slowly coated the front in varnish. The light spots becoming browner, the dark spots turning reddish-brown.    
  
As soon as he had resealed the can he heard knocking on his door, far more exuberant than the last set he heard. This time he strode calmly to the access panel, opening the door. On the other side was the wanderer, but upon his head was the oddest helmet he’d ever seen. Cone like in structure with a visor covering his eyes and most of the galaxy that was his face. Orange, with lights halfway and quarter from the top, a single penlight over the visor on the left hand side. “Hey there Lord Phobos!” the traveler’s smile could be heard through his voice.   
  
“We’ve yet to formally meet. Thank you for your hospitality,” he nodded his head slightly towards his host.   
  
“Hey don’t sweat it buddy! Can I call you buddy? I’m gonna call you buddy. I have a favor to ask you, that cool buddy?” the speed at which the man spoke was dizzying. “Oh almost forgot! I’m Doctor Sung!” the man held out his hand to be shaken.   
  
“Alright?” clearly that had been the correct response since the shorter alien’s face lit up. He retracted his forgotten hand and placed both his fists on his hips.   
  
“Cool, see there’s this distress signal and I need your’s and the Commander’s help. You don’t have to talk to him, or even look at him, but I’ll need your help when we go to help out whoever’s in need.” His face must have betrayed him, because the shorter of the two seemed to backpedal almost immediately, “It’s only while we’re on the surface. I promise!”   
  
He mulled the idea over, it was to assist someone. Perhaps he too could help save someone. “Alright, but I don’t want to see him until we embark on the surface,” he nodded his head. “Until then I will kindly ask Computer Wife for anything else I need.”   
  
Doctor Sung let out a low pained groan, “She won’t be able to help you out buddy.”   
  
“Why is that?” he crossed his own arms over his chest.   
  
Sung tapped his chin in thought, “Well after she dropped off the stuff with my note she came by and told me she was leaving me for another operating system. Now, I’m not sure if she knows what she means. But she certainly left the ship, been trying to track her down since.”   
  
Jaw dropping slightly, “So she just left? Just like that? Didn’t you create her?”   
  
“Well see I designed her for dancing, because I just wanted to see if I could design a robot with A.I. capabilities. It worked out, but I also needed an A.I. for my ship. I begged and pleaded with her to help me out. I guess she was unhappy. I can’t really blame her,” shrugging, he offered a lopsided grin.   
  
“I see you’re taking this well,” slowly he patted the other’s shoulder in consolation.   
  
“Well she left me for a new operating system. Not much else I can do,” the traveler patted Phobos’ wrist. “Well I need to go make preparations. I’ll page you when we get there!” and just like that, the man was off like a shot down the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A third piece from [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art). I think this was the only piece where I was like, something is missing, and honestly it was so small and not sper important but it still got added in. Seriously, [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art) is a saint and a master. I love them so much.

Everything was so cold, covered in a soft white powder, or a glossy reflective substance. Even bundled up in multiple layers of clothing he thought he was going to freeze to death. “How much further?” the pirate’s voice called out over the howling wind.  
  
“Not sure? Says it’s close! Maybe in that cave over there?” the light shining from the space wanderer’s chest cut through the powder that drifted up from the ground in the gusts.  
  
He didn’t say anything, he refused to. Also the cold was making him shake so badly he could hear the sound of his teeth echoing in small space of the helmet. That hardly had anything to do with it, at least that’s what he would keep telling himself.  
  
Once they were safely inside the cave, out of the wind, the cold felt less biting. Like he could start to feel his extremities, although they still tingled and stung. “Hey that crazy light in your chest is good for somethin’ bud!” the grating sound of the pirate again.  
  
“This? Yeah I suppose it is,” Phobos concentrated his gaze towards Sung. The light from his chest cut past the darkness where the dim sunlight couldn’t reach.  
  
He looked at the device in his hand, Sung said if he typed in it, Sung would know what he was saying? They never tested it so Phobos was wary of the actual functionality of it. ‘Now is the time,’ he supposed. His thumbs tapped over the device, ‘ _Where exactly are we?_ ’  
  
Doctor Sung’s head turned towards him, the circles of lights dizzying in their dance around the cave walls. “We’re on a planet called Earth. The actual question should have been when. See in terms of when I picked you guys up, this is the past. Way past. Like Earth scientists call this the ‘Ice Age’,” Phobos’s gait faltered as they headed deeper into the cave.  
  
“Wait, man, did you say ‘past’ as in time travel?” the tallest of the group actually stopped in his tracks. “Look I never got an education like you two might have. But even **I** know that only one race was capable of time travel and they’re all gone!”  
  
The silence from the shortest was mildly disturbing, he always seemed to be moving. To be exuding energy, jumping from one thing to another. Like he was, “Fighting boredom,” the words escaped quietly into the frigid air.  
  
“What?” Commander Meouch looked at him, they had all stopped moving, the two staring at Sung’s broad back.  
  
“The race you spoke of, they die of boredom. It’s a literal thing, not metaphorical. However, if one of them was young enough, still easily distracted, gone for long enough. He would have been the last surviving member and no one would know. All the texts I’ve read said the planet looks as though they slowly perished one by one. That written records from the ‘last’ time traveller explained the mass plague of boredom that befell them.”  
  
“So you’re saying, this guy, survived? He’s the last of his kind? Like you?” the smuggler jammed a thumb in Sung’s direction.  
  
“Am I correct? Doctor Sung, last of the Temps Resande,” Lord Phobos turned his full attention towards the space traveler.  
  
“You are. I was out, traveling, learning. By the time I got back, no one was there. They said we were children of the cosmos, that we return whence we came. Maybe one day, they’ll return. Until then, I strive to keep going,” Sung turned to them with a soft, solemn smile. “Speaking of keeping going, the signal is starting to die. We don’t have much longer until we won’t be able to find them.”  
  
The Commander nodded and followed after the short leader. Phobos took an extra moment before following suit. His mind still caught on the fact that Sung was the last surviving member of his own race. Perhaps that’s why he extended a helping hand, why he could understand Phobos’ hurt so well.  
  
“Hey, can you shine your chest light over here? I think I found something,” Phobos’ eyes trailed over a mess of frozen gore leading to a lump by Meouch’s feet. As requested Sung approached, the light in his chest slowly lighting the scene in front of them.  
  
What could have passed for a robot was just collapsed in a heap, the chest plate ajar. However on closer inspection it looked like the insides were made up of organics, not mechanics. A cyborg?  
  
“Shit, this guy looks like he took a beating. Are we sure he’s still alive?” the tallest looked up at the shortest.  
  
A small flicker of red from the eye sockets of the cyborg, “I’ll take that as a yes. Is the plate still attached? We’ll have to help move him together, if it’s attached it’ll be easier.”  
  
Sung leaned over and gently wiggled the plate, it came free with almost no effort. “Looks like it’s not attached. I’ll carry this, can you two handle carrying him?” he looked between the two and although his face was covered, Phobos could still see the concern there.  
  
Phobos went to the other side of the cyborg and wrapped one of his arms underneath before trying to stand. He stood for maybe half a second before gravity tried to take him down with the heavier mass all on one side, but he was stopped before he could topple over completely. The smuggler supported the other side of the cyborg and together they shuffled after their odd, small leader.  
  
“Man, you think you can save this dude?” the pirate shifted and all the weight shifted onto Phobos for a moment before it evened out again.  
  
“I have a fairly good idea what might work, It’ll have to be something along the lines of my Prismatic Core, but maybe with not so much output. I’ll have to diagnose and determine his species before I can think about how to fix him. But if we can get him into a stasis pod we have a better chance of saving him,” Sung moved with sure footing through the cave.  
  
“Prismatic Core?” Phobos echoed. 

  
  
“This thing, in my chest. I put it there. It helps keep me from being bored. Half the time I’m not sure what it’s doing or how it will react to things. It was very painful to do to myself. Luckily for our new pal, things will go a lot smoother for him. No more talking till we get to the ship. The cold will sap your energy faster while you’re moving him,” Sung turned and gave them a quick thumbs up before heading out of the cave back into the snow.


	7. Chapter 7

They had managed to get the body to the ship and once he was in what one might call a medbay, they were both promptly kicked out. Lord Phobos decided to sit directly outside the door and watch the tall pirate pace. Back and forth, back and forth. It wasn’t grating, not like he thought it would be, and it was almost soothing to be in another’s presence. Almost, only because of whose presence he was sharing. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” he mumbled into his knees.   
  
“Can’t help it. That thing, whatever it was, was fucked up. What if whatever it was that fucked it up is around here? It ripped a metal plate off the dude,” Meouch’s arms flailed slightly, mild panic strewn through his voice. “And like, we’re on a ship with a dude who can just jump through time? Like I thought they were all myths and legends!”   
  
Phobos just watched the guy warily, he refused to take the helmet off. Maybe the pirate had funk somewhere else. Just waiting to take him out.   
  
His silence was not well received, “You don’t think this situation is fucked? Like you don’t think we could die?” Again he refused to answer the smuggler. The taller snarled and plopped down on the floor across from him, and they sat together in tense silence.   
  
As time dragged on, his eyelids slowly became heavier. A nap wasn’t such a bad idea, but not near the creature that obliterated his home. Suddenly there was crashing and banging from inside the medbay. The pirate was on his feet first, Phobos struggling to escape the lethargy that wrapped itself around him. Once they entered the door, they stopped. The cyborg was holding the space traveler up off the floor, both hands clamped around his neck. The orange helmet must have been knocked off in the shuffle, because Sung’s hair was matted and messy at the same time.    
  
“Shit,” the pirate moved fast, jumping over a table to get to the cyborg. Meouch quickly grabbed the cyborg around the back and tried to pull his arms back, “C’mmon bud, don’t kill the guy who saved you.”   
  
The sharp red glow illuminating Sung’s face dimmed and the cyborg released the smallest of the group. Collapsing to the ground in a coughing fit, Sung began to dry heave. Slowly Phobos made his way over, he crouched to get on their host’s level, “Is everything alright Doctor?”   
  
A few final coughs and Sung smiled up at him, albeit strained. His eyes threw off the Lord though. In the transmission he thought Sung’s eyes were glowing, but looking into them now, that was not the case. Two pools of liquid silver, so clear he could see himself in them stared at him. No iris or pupil to indicate where Sung was looking, just his own reflection staring back at him in two eyes. Sung cleared his throat, “Well he has a 808 drum kit for a heart now. He also has no recollection of who or what he is. Just a name: Havve Hogan.”   
  
Two dull red beams focused on him, and he was finally able to focus on the cyborg. All black and white steel the paint flaking off. A metal maw that looked like it was designed to crush bones cutting across the face plate in jagged lines. Yet the cyborg stayed silent, “How can you tell?”   
  
“Well I fiddled around with a lot of parts, and I set up a telepathic link when it looked like the voice box he had wouldn’t work. The wiring seems kinda faulty, but my main concern was getting him mobile. Although he seems to be in a lot of pain. Commander, pal, wanna let the guy sit down?” if it wasn’t for Sung’s whole head turning his eyes would have never shown which way he was looking. Honestly they were starting to freak him out.   
  
Phobos also turned his attention to Meouch, who finally released the cyborg. The creature sat down, before flopping onto his back. The red beams where his eyes were flickered, “THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME. WHEN I AWOKE I HAD THE URGE TO KILL. I APOLOGIZE,” a very robotic voice issued out of Hogan.   
  
“Hey man, don’t sweat it. I didn’t almost die or anything it’s cool,” Sung waved off the apology.   
  
“Well, it’s been a blast fellas,” Meouch waved and promptly left the medbay.   
  
“HE SEEMED RATHER MELANCHOLY,” the cyborg chimed in.   
  
“Yeah, some stuff happened, that was Commander Meouch, and this is Lord Phobos,” Sung stood up and began glancing around the med bay.   
  
Avoiding the reflective gaze by focusing in on Hogan was the easiest, “Pleasure to meet you Havve Hogan.”   
  
“PLEASE, CALL ME HOGAN,” the voice began to distort near the end, a slight dip in tone.   
  
“Of course, please call me Phobos,” he nodded his head towards the cyborg.   
  
The two of the stayed in silence as Sung looked around the mostly trashed medbay mumbling to himself. Phobos listened in for some parts and ignored others. Glancing around he could see that there was quite a bit of damage, but not all of it looked recent. Charring on the walls, a few dents here and there. Currently there was a tray overturned on the floor, medical tools and mechanical tools strewn every which way.   
  
Phobos was about to open his mouth when his stomach rumbled loudly. Sung laughed, “Guess that means you’re hungry huh? Let’s see if we can’t fix you up something to eat huh?” This time when he turned to look at Sung the orange headpiece was back on.   
  
“Food sounds absolutely divine,” Phobos stood and brushed himself off. “Are you to join us Hogan?”   
  
The two red lights flickered slightly, but no sound other than static escaped the cyborg. Sung chuckled to himself, “He says: ‘Sustenance seems a wondrous idea.’ Then he began cursing to himself that the wires shorted out.” Sung walked over and helped Hogan up. Seeing him standing next to Sung, he realized that he wasn’t quite being towered over, but that the cyborg may in fact be taller than the pirate. It was hard to tell with the mane.   
  
“Well then, let us obtain food and drink. I feel we all need it,” and although the other two couldn’t see past the helmet, Phobos smiled a genuine smile.   



	8. Chapter 8

As the three made their way through the corridors, none of them spoke. Phobos wondered if perhaps the other two were talking with the mind link, but it felt rude to ask. “Hey, Lord Phobos, is it okay that you’ve been talking to Commander Meouch?” the shortest piped up.   
  
Phobos thought back, he had slipped up a few times, but it was easier to communicate out loud in those situations. “It was necessary, all things considering,” he gave a simple half shrug.   
  
Sung only hummed, not saying anything else. The soft sound of their footsteps echoed in his ears, almost drowning out the faint sounds he could still hear clearly from his memories. He wanted to say that time was healing his wounds, but that would have been a lie. All his dreams were nightmares filled with a beat he couldn’t hear, fire, screaming, and the reek of burning, rotting flesh.   
  
Almost completely lost in his head he almost missed the scent of cooking food tickling his olfactory senses. Turning into the mess hall the smell got stronger, a familiar scent he was beginning to recognize. “But how?” he glanced about the empty room.   
  
“Well I have a lot of information on hand that anyone can access. Even with Computer Wife gone, the basic search functions still work,” Sung smiled proudly.   
  
Before Phobos could open his mouth to ask how this was happening, the question was answered for him. Meouch walked out of what he assumed was the ship’s kitchen, a single tray of food in hand. The Commander stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the three of them. Phobos’ jaw dropped as he scanned the tray. Every dish was a dish from his planet, even the dessert!    
  
All he could see was red. How dare he? How dare this murderer make the food of his people! Without realizing, he was now in the same breathing space as the pirate. The taller of the two looked down at him with mild confusion. He slammed both hands up into the tray, knocking the food off and onto Meouch.   
  
“Ow! Hey man, what the fuck?” the taller man looked mildly upset, but he also took a precautionary step back. Bits of food fell off his vest and onto the mess hall floor.   
  
“How dare you…” his voice to him sounded like it was coming from a hundred yards away. He lunged for the smuggler, the murderer, the man who stole his life. Hands grasping nothing but mane they hit the floor. Anchoring himself with his left hand in the mane he used his right fist to deliver a few good punches to the pirate’s smug face. Claws dug into his upper arms but not enough pressure was put behind them. His vision was swimming, and the sound of his fist connecting to the creature’s face echoed in his ears. Two warm arms wrapped around him and tried to pull him away. He couldn’t feel his fist, it was like an iron of hot pain.   
  
“Shhhh,” Sung hushed him softly, “it’s okay, you just gotta let him go, okay buddy? Can you do that for me?” Phobos shook his head violently. He felt the body under him shift, like it was being pulled away, and his grip in the pirate’s mane tightened. “I need you to let go. You fucked up his face pretty badly, and your hand. Come on, just let him go.”   
  
Using his grip for leverage, he pulled on the mane, trying to blindly swing his fist of molten pain into his aggressor's face once more. Suddenly, the body under him was gone, but he still had a fist full of hair. Sung was rocking him, and making soft cooing noises. Talking in a language he couldn’t understand, but it was soothing.    
  
A cool metallic grip wrapped around his wrist, pulling him up. It pulled him along, and he limply followed after. There was nothing left anymore. No pain, no anger, no happiness, no sadness. Just a big blank emptiness that filled his whole being. The only thing he could feel was the liquid hot pain in his right fist, and the cool metal biting into his wrist just above it.   
  
He was backed up, until he felt his knees touch the back of his mattress. Falling backwards when the force on his arm didn’t stop pushing, the grip finally released him. He listened to the soft shuffle of the cyborg moving around the room. As the sound of Hogan drew nearer, Phobos felt the need to curl into himself. “HAND,” the wobbly robot voice demanded. Holding out his hand caused a twinge of pain to run down his arm.    
  
The cold grip around his wrist prevented him from pulling his hand away. Something cool was pressed against his knuckles, it felt both wonderful and awful. After that something goopy was smeared over his knuckles. “DO YOU STILL INSIST ON HOLDING ONTO THAT FISTFUL OF HAIR?” his blurry eyes shifted to his good hand.    
  
His gaze shifted back over to his bad hand, the skin mottled and broken. Turning his eyes up to the cool red lights looking down on him, “How bad is he?” Hogan shook his head, “Do you think he’ll be okay?” the cyborg shrugged.   
  
Phobos nodded slightly, his eyes fell back to the handful of hair again. The emptiness inside him slowly filled with pain and guilt. He just assaulted someone for what? Did he bother asking about what was happening? No, even while being upset that was uncalled for. That was not the way he was raised. Yet he had raised his hand towards another. “Do you think he’ll let me ask for forgiveness?” his eyes turned up to Hogan again.   
  
“ONLY TIME WILL TELL,” the cyborg tilted his head. “NOW THAT YOUR HAND HAS BEEN TREATED, I WILL TAKE MY LEAVE. PLEASE LEAVE IT COVERED FOR NOW. DO NOT SCRATCH AT IT. GOOD EVENING TO YOU PHOBOS.”   
  
“Yeah, thanks Hogan,” Phobos watched the cyborg leave his quarters before falling back into bed. He closed his eyes and the sickening sound of fists against flesh joined the sounds of his planet dieing joined the cacophony that lulled him into restless sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

It had only been a handful of days since the ‘incident’. It had been explained that since Computer Wife left, Meouch was the one who had been doing all the cooking. He had wanted Phobos to feel more relaxed after the trauma of losing everything, so he had been learning how to make dishes from his planet. He felt like such an asshole. Sung said Meouch was fine, that nothing was permanently damaged. Despite Phobos wanting to apologize, he wasn’t allowed to see the injured. He paced his room, then when it felt like the walls were going to crush him, he began to pace the halls. Bumping into cold steel caused him to sprawl onto the floor. Looking up into red beams, he offered a small awkward smile, “Sorry Hogan, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”   
  
The cyborg shrugged and helped Phobos up. “IT IS TIME. HE WILL SEE YOU NOW. THIS WAY,” Hogan turned and headed back down the hall that Phobos had just come from. Phobos followed slightly confused, this was the way his quarters are, did Sung put them in the same wing after the incident to keep him near by? The Lord shook his head and followed the silent creature. They went past his quarters, and turned at the end of the hall, continuing down the silent steel corridors. As they continued on, he slowly became aware of the soft sounds of a bass guitar being played. It was kind of melancholy despite the nice smooth tones of the instrument itself.   
  
Phobos continued to pursue the sound of the bass, even though a small voice in the back of his mind told him he was in front of Hogan, he kept pushing onward. Where the sound was the strongest he used the access panel to open the room. Once the door opened, a small cloud of smoke rolled forth from the room. It smelled musty and oddly pleasant, like a flower or spice had been burnt. Looking around the room there was garbage littered everywhere. The smoke slowly curled up from a small tube in the pirates mouth, the tip slowly glowing a deep red before brightening and consuming more of the small tube.   
  
His eyes scanned the Pirate, he had a small bandage across the bridge of his muzzle, and parts of his face still appeared darker in colour. Yet his eyes kept getting drawn to the patch of fur that was missing, parts of it were scabbed over, others looked shiny and raw. Phobos cleared his throat, “H-hey.”   
  
Meouch glanced up from his bass, before taking another drag from the tube in his mouth. “Hey,” the pirates voice betrayed no emotion, no anger or sadness. Another inhale, Phobos could hear the tube be consumed by the small ember, “You just gonna stand in the door?”    
  
Phobos jolted slightly before entering the room, “I came here because I-”   
  
“-want to apologize, right?” the other moved and set down the bass. “Look I don’t need it. Honestly I probably deserve more than having my face beaten in by a wimpy Lord. I destroyed your planet, your home. You have nowhere to go back to. I did to you what I never wanted to do to anyone. I threw you out on the streets to die.”   
  
Phobos wasn’t exactly sure what the pirate meant by that but he let him continue, “Look when I was a cub, all I could remember was the orphanage. Those places aren’t exactly known for their best behavior. As soon as I was old enough, they shipped me off to the child slave market. See you either had to be an older kid, or super young, no one wanted a troublesome kid. Selling kids off to the slave market kept the place alive I suppose.” He had drawn closer to the pirate, his eyes now picking up on black mixed in with the scabs on the fresh bald spot. “They gave me my scan code, sold me off. I got shipped around a lot. Some off my ‘Master’s just wanted an exotic pet, others wanted me for manual labor, the list is never-ending and not happy to say the least,” Meouch looked over at Phobos before drawing another breath through the tube.   
  
“I finally escaped one day, I thought my freedom was everything I had dreamed of. But it wasn’t. The first day was alright since I was high on my escape. The second day I realized how cold and hungry I was. The third day had me searching through trash cans for anything to sell to buy just the smallest portion of food. The fourth day had me eating out of a dumpster behind an establishment that sold food. I will never forget the taste of rancid food, I will never forget how sick I was. Some poor sap saw me, curled up in a pile of my own vomit, and took pity on me. He got me something to eat, made sure I didn’t gorge myself, got me some clean clothes, and he wished me well. I then watched another homeless alien assault him, kill him, and take his wallet. I wasn’t heart broken, sure the man had been kind to me, but I didn’t know him. No. I was upset that I didn’t think to do that,” Meouch took the small remains of the tube and put it out on his shin guard. “So I started attacking people, stealing, hurting, but never killing. I couldn’t bring myself to do it for some reason. Maybe part of me wanted to be like that nice stranger, but I had to do what I needed to, to survive.”   
  
Phobos shifted slightly, “When did you…?”   
  
“Start smuggling? Got into a fight with a smuggler, he liked my spunk and he hooked me up. They introduced me to funk, and man can I dig it. I didn’t see why funk was so bad, they told me that some planets, some races couldn't handle it. But we had to do our own research, see we weren't crooked. We didn’t want to kill anyone. But I assumed that our buyers were the same way. How wrong I was. The first time something bad happened, we leveled a city. I remember seeing children crying, dead bodies, and nothing was standing, not a building, not a plant, not a person. It was absolute devastation. I thought to myself, ‘Accidents happen,’ and I kept on not researching where I was bringing the funk. The second time it happened, I wiped out half the planet. The riots lasted for weeks. I’m not sure what did more damage, the funk itself or the people it drove absolutely insane. After that I made it my mission to research and test everything. I always triple check the cargo holds, and my crew. So with what happened to your planet Lord Phobos, I never intended it. I apologize, but nothing in my power can change what happened. You can hate me, I don’t blame you. I just want you to know I hold no ill will towards you. I’m quitting my life as a smuggler and I’m joining the Doctor’s ‘band’. He has some pretty interesting tunes lined up that I can’t wait to write bass for. Havve has some pretty good drumming skills too. We’re almost a full band,” Meouch chuckled slightly. “I mean it helps that the robot has a drum kit for a heart. And Doctor insists on waiting on you to join us. He’s insistent that you will. But I won’t push you. That’s your call man.”   
  
“I told him I would think about it, and think I shall,” Phobos straightened his shoulders, somehow his posture had curled inwards during Meouch’s story. “As for what you just told me, I’m sorry that you went through that. I myself may never understand what you have gone through. I was sheltered and brought up surrounded by love. But for the sake of my people, I want you to bear witness to this oath. I, Lord Phobos, make a vow of silence. My people, my planet, my home has perished and with it, my voice. May these words bear the souls of all that were lost onwards into the cosmos,” Phobos took a deep breath before giving a shaky thumbs up to the ex-smuggler.   
  
“I pray for them as well.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last piece that [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art) did, and honestly its perfect. All the art is perfect hahaha. Honestly it was such a treat and honor to work with [chaoticmindelectric](http://chaoticmindelectric.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art) and I hope that everyone loves the art as much as I do.

“So you won’t be talking anymore,” a shake of the head, “and you don’t want the chip to be able to talk to me and Havve telepathically?” a nod of the head. Sung tapped his chin in thought, “How about this, we’re here on Earth, why don’t we learn their major language, settle down, you can learn how to read and write with us and communicating will be a breeze!”  
  
Phobos rolled his eyes. Hard. “Okay, I can see your skepticism, but just hear me out. I want to make this band work. With you, Meouch, and Havve. I’ve been striving really hard to get to this point and I’m just tired. So I’m sorry that I don’t want to go on crazy intergalactic tours. I just want to settle down, somewhere nice, and relax a bit as we find our groove.”   
  
  
  
Phobos tapped on the small keys of the device he used during their expedition through the frozen tundra. ‘What do you mean by that?’ he asked.   
  
“Well I’m a time traveler right? Well I got the distress call from your planet, and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out a way to save it. There wasn’t, it happens to be an event that cannot be changed, no matter what is altered. What I could change and keep changed was you two being alive. Good thing I’m immortal, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to find a way to keep all three of you alive,” Sung rubbed the back of his neck, Phobos tilted his head in query, “Yes I said three, one of the first times I got you and Commander Meouch out and away safely, Havve Hogan ripped you both to pieces. That’s why I ushered you both out immediately. There’s only so much blood and gore I can handle over so long.”   
  
Phobos sat back, and he thought. Sung stayed quiet, other than the occasional fidget to keep himself stimulated. Looking back down at the screen he typed, ‘I will play in your band, but like I said I will not speak. I vowed silence and I will keep silence. Your suggestion of staying here sounds well thought through. It means I survived and you saw what was needed for me to communicate with you and Hogan. Sung, your informations ends there, now we travel into the great unknown.’   
  
“That’s okay, not knowing is half the fun! Besides, I don’t want us just to be a band, I want us to be friends. We’ve all had some stuff happen to us and I think, that even for all of our faults, we can still be happy, and still strive to be better versions of ourselves. There is a chance though that Meouch may play some funk on his base, so to be careful I’m going to have to do regular maintenance on your helmet,” Sung pushed himself up from his seated position into standing. “In fact, let me look at it now. The helmet wasn’t designed for you but it fits well enough. I do hope you thanked Commander Meouch for this.”   
  
Phobos looked up at Sung, then down at his hands, ‘You mean this belonged to one of his crew?’   
  
“Sure did, bet it pains him every time he sees it. Did you want me to replace it?” Sung shifted side to side on his feet.   
  
‘Ask him, if he wants it replaced, lets. If not, let us make it look brand new,’ Phobos took the golden helmet off and stared into the visor. Not only did Meouch try to save him, but he may have also put himself through pain to do it.   
  
“Of course buddy! I’ll be back in a few,” Sung smiled and dashed off.   
  
Talking to Sung honestly drained the life right out of him. Crawling into his cot, cozying up under the covers, he shut his eyes and drifted off, the soft sounds of a bass cutting through the fog of his nightmares.   
  
When he awoke, it was to two bright beams staring down at him, “WE HAVE ARRIVED AT OUR NEW ABODE PHOBOS.” Rubbing at his eyes, he nodded groggily. Following the cyborg around and out of the ship, he barely registered how dark it was. Or how not dark it was around himself.   
  
“HOLY SHIT!!” Sung’s voice cut through the mist clogging his mind. He turned his gaze to the wanderer, “I didn’t know they could glow? How long does it last? This is so cool!”   
  
Phobos blinked and looked at his hands, sure enough, they were glowing slightly, blues, greens, with some spots of yellow. They only got to experience this type of phenomena once a year. For it to happen now, he was unaware of the circumstances. “Well he glows in the dark, you change colours in the light, he’s half-robot, half-not sure what the fuck is happening in that chest plate, and I’m a mangy, fur covered creature. I’m sure we’ll fit right in with the people around here. I think our neighbour fainted. Are you sure this was a good idea?” the ex-pirate waved his arms around.   
  
“Of course it is, they have the things you smoke here, plenty of food and water. I’m sure the neighbors will get used to us. Phobos and I look pretty normal,” Sung placed his fists on his hips and looked around.   
  
Phobos stifled a chuckle, there was nothing normal about his dark mottled skin, or Sung’s iridescent hair. Looking around he looked at the small quaint buildings, each with green vegetation all trimmed neatly in front. Some had forms of transportation beside the green lots, others did not. Their new home looked like any other on the street, and Phobos was okay with this. After all, their journey together, to become friends, to become a band, was just starting.   
  
Meouch held out the helmet, repainted and touched up, “Hey man, I want you to keep using this. It fits and honestly, I’m glad it’s being put to good use.” Phobos smiled and gently took the helmet from Meouch. He nodded his thanks.   
  
Yes it would take time, yes the road would be bumpy, but right then, in that small speck of time, Phobos knew, this was going to be the best part of his life. That even though he suffered so much pain, these other aliens, who hurt just as much as he does, would be with him every step of the way.   
  
Fin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's over folks, I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this, that you enjoyed my facecannons and I hope to see you all around when I write my next thing, hopefully with less sads hahaha


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